A new stygobitic genus and species of Cyclopinae (Crustacea, Copepoda, Cyclopoida), from the epikarst of Scrivilleri Cave, Sicily (Italy)

A new genus and species of Cyclopinae, Korecyclops alpha gen. nov. sp. nov., is described based on specimens retrieved from the epikarstic drip collecting in a rimstone pool of a Sicilian cave (Southern Italy). The new monotypic genus is characterized by the number of spines and setae on second segments of Exp P1–P4: 3.3.3.2, and 5.5.5.5, respectively; and by the number of spines and setae on second segments of Enp P1–P4: 1.1.1.1 and 4.5.5.4, respectively. Korecyclops alpha gen. nov. sp. nov. is an epikarstic, stygobitic species whose morphological characters associated with the size and oligomerisation of the appendages, relate it to the Microcyclops group Pesce 1996, as recently discussed by Boonyanusith et al. (2018), to the Metacyclops complex Karanovic et al. 2011, and to Pseudohesperocyclops Brancelj, Boonyanusith & Sanoamuang 2024. The strongest morphological affinities of the new species are with the genus Pseudohesperocyclops, but the two genera differ in the spinal formula of P1–P4 exp-2 and in the setal formula of P1–P4 enp-2, in the position and length ration of the ornamentation of P5 exopodal seta and spine, in the body shape and spermatophore shape. Korecyclops alpha gen. nov. sp. nov. represents a contribution to the knowledge of the diversity and of the low-range endemism of the groundwater taxa of the Sicilian karst; the discovery of this new genus reinforces the need of further investigating and protecting the epikarstic and karstic habitats. Some peculiar morphological and ethological adaptations of copepod fauna to life and colonization of the epikarst are presented and discussed. The existing species list of Sicily is updated by presenting unpublished data on the crustacean populations of groundwater of Sicily and some circum-Sicilian islands.